DUCK YOGA

dsc_0502.jpgdsc_0502.jpgHAPPY EASTER! The above picture I’m sure most of you have seen. It was taken in the Roanoke sound off of Colington Island. it captures what I’m doing in my life and that’s reachign for inner peace! It was so nice how the clouds just opened up and presented an angel formation. I know it sounds corney but it really meant a lot to me. Reaching for inner peace,joy,and acceptance.

Hope everyone has a wonderful day! We had hot yoga  yesterday at my house in Duck. My students who reguested Bikram weren’t here, so we went with a flow class that touched on Bikram poses. I did a  similar class  at one of my favorite studios on earth-Hot House(their teachers were trained by Jimmy Barkan). Hot House doesn’t chant in any of the classes I go to, but they are spiritual and help you along your journey.

I started our class with chanting,breathing exercises, some slow sun salutations, and then went right into bikram poses.  i deviated the “strict” bikram demands and let students grow organically into the pose by nodding  their head yes and no, bending one knee and the other, squatting and really easing in to their asanas from the inside out.  I tired to guide them to their edge slowly and with lots of AWARENESS/.I encourage inward listening and response. I’ll take a bikram class and love Charlottesville Bikram with Lizzie and her parner Michaela, but I don’t like teaching the strict demands of bikram. i like teaching the art of listening to the body, and responding to it’s needs on that particualr day. Bikram teaches no fidgeting, staying still and moving when commanded. To each their own, I’m just in a different are of the journey now, and  trying to keep perfect alignment with no fidgeting like bikram would suggest. i’m not criticizing his technique, i just prefer expressing  yourself with the divine from from within. I especially loved yesterday b/c there was so much compassion in the room and respect for each person moving in our own individual flow to unify in one group flow. Another teacher/student from the Outer Banks Astanga Studio was there, Mary Kelly, and we worked together in the past so it was especially nice having her there. She saw me in the height of my real estate days and lived my stress with me. She was the one that told others I needed yoga not kick boxing which i was taking at the time. Mary is a wise soul and the two of us have been through some good and bad times together, my respect as a friend and fellow yogi has grown by leaps and bounds for her. Mary was right, and i started my yoga journey and now i’m a teacher who’s teaching Mary! Isn’t it weird out the universe works!? We ended with pidgeon,twists, and more hip openers. I def. like deviating from the bikram flow, b/c i feel there are some poses that my body needs that he never addresses in his 26 poeses. Mary and I had a debate, she being a true ashtangi who lives and breaths the same workout everyday, said i should stick with the same flow we did yesterday. I asked her why??? I should have known why, b/c I do experience this in my primary series flow, you go a lot deeper when you do the same flow. This is so true, one day the flow will seem totally different than the day before or the day after, even though you’re doing the same poses. You can see your body,mind, and breath change in each asana, and compare all your days to get a little closer to knowing the true you. I t def. takes you deeper. I’m going to ponder this b/c I think there’s def. a point here that can take me a little deeper in my teaching and my learning. Thanks Mary for coming to Hot Yoga, it was nice to have your energy in the room.

OM GUM GANAPATAYEI NAMAHA!

namaste my friends!

heather